To facilitate falling asleep, the community suggests adopting personalized, sometimes unusual rituals aimed at calming the mind or diverting attention from mental rumination.

noli's read

The community converges on the idea that psychological conditioning and the reduction of mental hyperarousal are key, which is validated by research. The use of background noise (white noise/nature sounds) is supported by observational studies showing an improvement in sleep quality through sound masking. Visualization techniques (imaginary scenarios) are similar to cognitive distraction, a method recognized in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to reduce cortical arousal. However, the advice to scroll on one's phone is paradoxical: while it may tire some people through boredom, blue light and cognitive stimulation are generally discouraged in systematic reviews because they delay melatonin. The idea of calming hyperarousal (a state of high stress) is the most solid point, confirmed by numerous meta-analyses highlighting that stress management is often more effective than pharmacological aids for chronic sleep disorders. In summary, attention-diverting rituals are scientifically coherent, while habits involving screens remain a double-edged sword.

the sources

1. 1van Straten A, van der Zweerde T, Kleiboer A, et al. 2017
2. 2Mindell JA, Williamson AA. 2017
3. 3Zaccaro A et al. 2018
4. 4r/sleep